Why My Luggage is Zero Halliburton

by Michael Satterfield

I am pretty picky when it comes to the products I buy, I like to look for items known for quality, with some heritage, and that will last a lifetime. This wasn't always the case, when I was in my 20s working for a large car dealer group I had a trendy, very expensive set of logo-clad luggage, it looked impressive in my XK8 convertible, but the luggage, like the Jaguar, was more about looks than performance. As I traveled more, I found that I was leaving that luggage behind, the brown and gold were too precious to travel where my adventures often ended up taking me and weren't designed for gear. Eventually, I sold off the trendy bags and replaced them with the timeless and rugged Zero Halliburton aluminum cases. While I do have a few other specialty bags, a nice leather weekender, a camera bag backpack, and my beat to hell travel messenger bag, I never travel overnight without at least one of my Zero Halliburtons in tow.

I found my first Zero Halliburton at an antique shop, it was a 22" suitcase and it even had the original key. I was impressed with the beautifully simple formed aluminum, the clean lines, and the fact that it was a uniquely American brand. Since then, nearly ten years ago, I have been using Zero Halliburton for my gear and luggage, some of these cases are over 50 years old, they still look great and work perfectly.

I use Zero Halliburton cases for camera gear, drones, pistols, luggage, and I have been on the lookout for a vintage long gun case for my new Henry Rifles shotgun. My collection also includes the modern Zero Halliburton Geo Aluminum 3.0 international carry-on, which has traveled with me on all my trips since 2018, collecting stickers along the way.

Erle P. Halliburton with one of his early Halliburton Suit Cases

Created by Erle P. Halliburton in 1938, the aluminum cases were designed by aircraft engineers to hold up to the rough backcountry oil fields of Texas and Oklahoma. Halliburton's innovation in oil field technology would see his company grow to become one of the largest in the world. The luggage he commissioned was simple, elegant, and rugged, and for over 80 years little in the design has changed. As a new resident of Texas, I like that the design was born in the oil fields, and built to hold up to anything the west could throw at it. I have put this to the test in the jungles of Nicaragua, the back roads of the South, and on the streets of Tokyo, nothing yet has failed. Sure the aluminum might collect a few scuffs and dings along the way, but those just add character.

I also like that ZERO Halliburton is one of the few original American travel brands, trusted by travelers, adventures, the Secret Service, and even NASA, few luggage brands have as impressive a resume as ZERO Halliburton since can say their luggage has been to the moon and back. Even fewer luggage brands have become pop-culture icons like Halliburton with the distinctive aluminum cases making appearances in over 300 films and television shows from Mission Impossible to Inception.

My Geo Aluminum 3.0 carry-on along for some of my adventures

While travel may have changed since 1938, the needs of travelers haven't, and today's ZERO Halliburton cases are made with the same level of quality and attention to detail, with updates for today's modern traveler like wheels and bags designed for international carry-on dimensions. But like the originals, they are still made in the USA and still ready for the streets of New York or the Jungles of Nicaragua. One thing if you buy a ZERO Halliburton, you'll be hooked for life.